Blog Task 2 – Truss

Lead Author: Yingxin Wen

For the task two session, we made a truss with another term. The aim of the truss is to try to load something more. For the testing, the truss should as much as possible in the basket to hold much book.

Firstly, we got two wooden boards and four wooden sticks. (All in the same length). Also, some thumbtacks.

Because of the wooden board is too soft and too thin, we decided to increase the thickness of the wooden board. We took apart the wooden board into two part. (which is the same size). We thought the thickness of two wooden boards is better than one.

In order to support the load force to each corner, we decided to use Equilateral triangle method. at first, we measured and recorded the same length on the wooden board. According to the data, we cut the wooden sticks into the same length. In order to the better connection of each two wooden stick and reduce the gap between them, we cut the edge of each wooden stick into 45 degree.

After preparing, we used thumbtack to affix the wooden stick into the wooden board. At last, we put the two same part together into one truss.

Taking into account the solutions proposed by other terms, we found something that we could improve our truss further.

1.

Other terms made some small bevel beside the edge of the truss. In order to support the truss better and load as much as possible in the basket to hold much book.

2.

We took apart the wooden board into two part during the process. And we thought the thickness of two wooden boards is better than one. But at last, we saw some terms still use the original wooden board, and their truss looks hard. Might be more load area, need to load force less.

3.

Use the Horizontal surface to load the basket is better than use the Vertical surface. When testing, the Vertical surface might become distortion because of the truss is not steady or the basket is too heavy.